Well, I’m almost afraid to watch…and honestly, I’d rather be in bed. Coughing. Damnit.

First prediction of the night….they put Rashad and Simone in jeopardy after calling David safe.

Can Val do the 12 bars in hold? I think he better. Gee, Val, she would be better in hold if you would have been choreographing ballroom this whole time.

Typical Chmerkovskiy – takes forever to get started. The music is bad and it’s resulting in a very staccato V. Waltz – looked more like a tango starting out. I do love the camera effect though. Because because it’s the judges dance they will all kiss ass – until they get to Simone anyway. I didn’t actually see the stumble the judges saw, but I AM sick. 🙁

9’s – seems about right. And once again, Val, STFU!!! It’s no wonder I have no clue about Normani, dude is a microphone hog.

Oh boy, Simone’s edit. Not sure what that means.

The lemon idea is kinda fun and David embrace it of course.

Butt still needs a bit of work. Lindsay also takes a bit to get started, but David isn’t a trained dancer so it’s more of a tactic than just stupid time wasting.

Agree with Julianne’s comments, he is what the show is supposed to be about. Also think that Lindsay did a good job with the choreo.

Was that Donald Driver in the audience??

Oh boy. Normani is getting the Nightline treatment. That can’t be good for one of the couples I actually LIKE.

STFU, Carrie Ann. That is such a BS critique. It’s what you say when you’ve got no other excuse.

That was a cute, fun jive! Loved it. and I love Simone’s little top. Very cute outfit.

Perfect score. I agree…but…since Normani is getting Nightline, I think she’s safe. Which puts Simone in danger, along with Rashad. And David.

Bruno does crack me up and he’s giving decent advice,IMO.

Beautiful dance from Rashad and Emma – very well done.

Important thing to remember, judging by the comments on this post, that the judges round almost always gets tongue baths. Every season – none of the judges have the balls to really critique a dancer that another judge has been involved in coaching.

Anyway, that was beautiful. I loved it. Actually a good sign that Len gave a bit of a nitpick. Totally agree with Julianne on being the man in the dance.

Agree with Tom…that is a dramatic departure for Cheryl. I think I liked it. I’ll be interested to see how her tour does with current market saturation with MOVE and DWTS tours.

My brother had to leave New Orleans and not know what was happening with his house. It’s no joke. This is the first time I feel like I got to actually know Normani. Maybe cuz Val isn’t there to hog the spotlight.

Now, the question is, can Val choreograph a decent Jazz? Did you ever notice that more often than not his partners are in ballroom attire even when doing non-ballroom dances? Not a huge deal, but I think it might signify a lack of imagination.

High kick.

High kick. Lots of jive, little jazz, cuz Val don’t know what to do.

Not a *bad* dance, just not very impressive for someone with her credentials. But the judges will rave cuz she’s on Nightline tonight.

Dang, Len, really? A “dash” of Lindy? Nearly all Lindy. A standing O for that? It was a good dance, no question – but it wasn’t vibrant or exciting or any of the other superlatives that they’re spewing.

Look out, Val trying to grab the mic. And he succeeded, but Erin cut him off. He almost does the pee pee dance when he’s trying to get the mic away from Normani.

Pisses me off that everyone else got ballroom and Normani gets Jazz – of course it’s a perfect score, there are no rules. Meanwhile everyone else in the second round will get nitpicked over their feet or their shoulders or their hands.

I’m waiting for the big reveal that will explain the ass kissing and pimping that Normani and Val are getting. Perhaps we find out on Nightline?

Seeing David do a decent tango makes me remember something that a fan told me Derek said in a Meet and Greet the other night. A fan asked Derek who he would want as a partner if he did the show as a celebrity. His choices? Emma…and Lindsay. He adores Emma, and he says that Lindsay is very “sweet and creative”. He’s right on.

That was a lovely dance. And I can’t decide if he’s staying or going – the judges are schizophrenic. This is usually the part of the season where they get invested in being right – which means they go from gushing over people who are leaving to gushing over people who are staying. But they are SO invested in Normani that that might throw them off.

Hmmm…if he’s staying, those 9s might be trouble for Normani. He’s not many points down from her and this would put him in striking distance…

Simone looks exactly the same as when she was 3. So cute.

Yikes. Lift. Accidental, but that’s giving CAI license to be a dick.

Was that dance really short or was it just me? It looked beautiful but I feel like I missed part of it.

Man, I think Simone is going home…judges can’t resist sending peeps off with perfect scores. If she does go home it will be HOW MANY times this season that they’ve been utterly transparent? Get a new game, idiots.

Good Lord, Rashad is a beautiful man! Hopefully Donald is Rashad’s good luck charm.

Damn, I loved that quickstep! Not technically perfect but as close as a total non-dancer is going to get. Fantastic!

OMG, Len. It took a long time to get started?? Have you been watching Normani?? That describes her and Val every week.

SAFE: Normani (booooooo)

SAFE: Rashad

Jeopardy: Simone and David

Eliminated: Simone

Of for fuck’s sake, spare me judges. That faux shock was patently ridiculous. You simply can’t shred a girl week after week after week and expect it to NOT have an impact. How freaking stupid are the four of you? Jesus…you need to start reading this damn blog. And now, thanks to you, it’s likely that Normani wins because the same sheeple who didn’t vote for Simone on your word is voting for her. She’s a nice enough girl, but it’s not been earned.

The bright spot? They might have actually believed David was leaving (cuz they are so fucking clueless about this show) so they put him in striking distance of Normani.

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I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

Well my sister gets bragging rights now I guess since Erin’s dress is similair to the dress she is wearing to her senior ball wendesday (she is a senior in college and graduation is Saturday and it’s like prom times ten apparantly lol). Anyways, that video for normani and Val already made me go “ugh” so that’s a record there I think lol.

@princess Heidi: I hope you feel better soon 🙂 my parents always go for honey and tea but (and this is a weird one) I go for the pumpkin spice kurig cups and add hazzlsnut syrup. Always does the trick 🙂

I’m not watching live; I refuse to after last week. My gut is telling me Simone is going home, and I wouldn’t be surprised if your prediction is correct or they may put her and Normani in jeopardy; didn’t they put Nastia and Rumer in jeopardy and send Nastia home or am I wrong?

ugh, I didn’t really enjoy normani’s dance, definitely forgettable. I don’t like judge’s dances typically anyway because they just rave the crap out of each other and actually accomplish nothing to further advance or help any of the couples.

Normani and Val – Interesting package Was Val actually ADMIT he doesn’t know how to choreograph a REAL Viennese Waltz? No I must be hearing things. Maybe not cause that was more tango in 3 quarter time than a TRUE waltz to me. what total BS comments but 9’s make me feel a little better.

Ok anybody keep timing of that dance? Cause from my television it looked like it took a bit of time for them to get started by the time they down the stairs-typical Val fashion to delay the dance ??? ; I, also, saw a few breaks in hold throughout the dance although the dance did have content-did it have 12 bars of solid VW content in hold? ?
I saw something of what the judges are talking about-not sure if it was a stumble or what….
Why are they all of a sudden backpedaling on Normani and Val? You would think the judges would’ve still given them 10’s hmmm….

It would have been much more impressive if Val had made the 12 bars in hold consecutive rather than split up. The rest of it was typical Val standard choreography. Lot’s of time wasting in the beginning with fast, staccato moves not in hold, unless forced by a judge to do so.

Len’s so full of it, he said he wanted the first 12 bars of in hold Viennese waltz, and Val totally disregarded​ Len’s challenge, which then Len switched during his critique. Let’s be honest, she was wobbly for about several bars into hold, and that misstep was just a clever way to say she messed up pretty good but lets sugar coat her. This should’ve gotten like two 8’s but eh I guess they could’ve given her another tongue bath, and perfect score. Also talk about​desperate measures: just as the show is about to go to commercial they give us a glimpse into a possible bad edit package for Simone, but I hope her breakdown is the worst they could see from her.

Whoa give it up to David!! Mr. smooth, suave and debonair!! That foxtrot was great!! What an improvement in the standard dances for him!! And I actually think Julianne gave him some good advice-makes me miss her as a pro:/

David and Lindsay- What can you say about this guy that hasn’t been said before? His dances don’t look polished as the others but he has definitely the most improved. Just lights up the room and I can’t say I saw many mistakes either. Lindsay is probably the best teacher of the bunch.

They got Simone to cry – the judges and show will claim some kind of victory.
Dear Celebrity: if you are shy or a private person this is not the show for you. I think she’s going home although it seemed like David received the good-bye from Erin clip.

Simone and Sasha- WAH!! I just wanted to hug her! That was some jive! Woo-Hoo and OK the judges are gushing after being obnoxious but Simone definitely gave them what they asked for. Well deserved though expected 10’s About damn time!

David’s dance was beautiful and he did look improved tonight, but there was something not quit there towards the end. But, he definitely brought it all, especially his humor. Lindsay looked beautiful and great job on her part.

I enjoyed that rehearsal with CAI. I think she came through for Simone. Loved the dance and seeing Simone release herself. I just hope it not too late. I really think Sasha should have worked on her or got another Pro female to help & work with her. Sasha needs more experience. He hasn’t been with that many celebs. Derek and Mark always used outside sources to help their partner. All 10’s was well deserved!!!

I liked Simone’s jive. It was very high energy and fun. Her flicks and kicks in particular were awesome. I just wish the background wasn’t so distracting and jarring during the dance. It made it hard for me to concentrate on her and Sasha.

I hope Rashad isn’t going home tonight!It’s not airing in the West coast yet but I’m here snooping around. Lol! Reading about Val on here is annoying me already. He talks too much about HIMSELF, when it should be about the star. Smh!

Anyway, I’m going to be voting right when the show starts for Rashad and Emma. Time to create new email accounts for extra votes. Lol.

Ha! Ha! Rashad certainly took Bruno’s critiques to heart-great arm movements throughout the dance, very nice hip action. He was there for Emma all the way and lead her well ???? That was truly a beautiful rumba!!

I’m a Rumba nerd. It really moves and transports me when it’s done right. It’s like a loving, sensual conversation between two people. What a beautiful rumba that was. Rashad’s port de bras was so fluid and lovely. Bruno gave some really good pointers too. For all of his wackiness, he really does give good feedback.

I wouldn’t be that upset if Simone went home. I’m team Rashad and Simone leaving would put him top of the leaderboard at the most important time. I knew they wouldn’t give him a perfect score, they can’t have golden girl being a full 4 points behind Rashad.

I said grrrr when David came out with tails up to his waist that had the potential to show off his butt. It did but it wasn’t that bad. The thing with athletes is that their bodies have a memory on their own and it is really hard to erase it. Both David and Rashad gave good examples. Simone is dealing with the same issue – what is in her head.

Val has NO idea what jazz is. Sorry, good dance but not worthy of the tongue bath the judges gave it. And as someone from MS who lost everything in Katrina, I really don’t like it being used as a prop for sympathy votes.

It’s a shame. Normani really is a lovely and talented young lady with a great family and she comes from a place I have a soft spot for. If she had any other partner than Val, I’d be able to enjoy her so much more. She did great in the jazz, although it was more like Lindy Hop.

Normani and Val- Sorry I get she’s had a rough life is not making me feel sympathetic but rather SICK of being manipulated week after week after week but I hope Grandma liked it. Oh gee JUDGES PLEASE JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!! Oh and let’s talk to Grandma now Can you be a little more OBVIOUS? GIVE IT A REST ALREADY!!

David and Lindsay Another great dance and while yes his story as told and has been referenced throughout I never felt like it was thrown in my face. No he is not the best but he’s worked as hard maybe harder than the rest.

My dad passed away unexpectedly in February. He was a lifelong Cubs fan. He was buried with the Cubs World Series Champion baseball cap we got him for Christmas in his coffin. I simply can’t be rational about David.
He and Lindsay have been the heart of the season for me in a season that doesn’t seem to value heart, integrity and honor.

I thought that was a pretty good tango!! Nice choreo, by Lindsay, to a very non-tango song! It’s interesting-Julianne has said those same comments 2x now to David-about him deserving to be there-kinda gives me the impression that he maybe he’s safe ?????

Very sensual and eloquent and Emma dances beautiful. Loved the dance. Rashad is a natural and I felt like he was leading and the smoothness was breathtaking.
Yes, Katrina wreaked havoc on Louisiana and other Gulf states. Louisiana’s levy breaking did a lot of damage.

Normani’s dance: Good dance by Normani, but I feel she is guarded at times. Being a jazz, Val should have pushed it, and putting another dance in is Val’s famous signature, and never reprimanded for it. Ok, so what will they say about Simone to give her 4 points less this time so she isn’t close to her in points?
My brain hurts…

David’s dance: He did a good job even though it was a little bit like a V.W. at times IMO. David definitely puts his all in learning the dances.

Man what is up with this season? Cannot tell at all if David’s leaving or not. If he was, I’d guess they’d be quite generous with scores but then again, they were pretty nice last week too so?? And if he was staying he probably would’ve gotten bad scores to give a huge voting margin but that’s not the case from last week.. or this week if he’s staying either.

David has been the only one thus far with Rashad only left, who did not get a 2nd time up in the sky box with Erin. Not sure if that could mean anything because he’s staying or I’m just reading too much into every detail. I truly feel that Normani and Rashad are safe tonight and this will come down to David or Simone.

Rashad is the whole package. Likable, hardworking, great chemistry and respect for his partner, and a fabulous dancer who has to work for it because it’s not what he does for living.
And dear, sweet Emma. ❤️

Loved Simone and davids second dances but on the flip side I wasn’t feeling Rashad and Emma as much as I wanted to like it. Still all three better than normanis second dance in my opinion. I’d give the first two a 10 and rashad a 9. Overall I’m happy tonight though 🙂 just wish that normani was gone. Simone gone…..all my votes go to Rashad now.

Okay time to get David or Rashad the win. I’m hoping they get Simone’s votes. What I take away from this season. Let’s play up Simone and Normani as besties that way if Simone is eliminated Normani will get her votes. Secondly, Normani has a crush on Bonner that way if he’s eliminated she’ll get his voters.

Well, it was as I feared! Len sitting there with his head in his hands; well buddy that’s what you get when the judges are complicit in kissing Val’s butt while running Simone into the ground! Congratulations ABC, now hand Val his precious MBT and officially end this crapfest! But I’m off to do my best to foil their plot and vote Rashad!

oh I’m really sad its Simone going home. All the manipulation truly is annoying. I was suspiscious after she was having such a good night but disappointed to be correct. It really is a shame she got nit picked to death whilst Normani had such an easy ride. Would have much preferred Normani going home…oh well.

Absolutely heartbroken for Sasha. He deserved the finals this year. And NOT at the expense of David or Rashad. As I said on Twitter, this is what happens when the Judges/Producers pimp ONE dancer/pro. The voters almost always strike back. It happens almost every year at some point. TPTB did this to themselves. Now, we need everyone to NOT split their votes between David/Rashad!!

Thank you Heidi and Joanne.
And this is what happens when one contestant, or rather one pro, is pimped beyond reason. Luckily Simone is an American Olympic hero who is providing young women, especially young women of color, the example that rising to the top of your chosen field is possible and glorious.

Rashad’s hands & arms were giving me EVERYTHING during that rumba! He’s such a great listener & he’s able to show tremendous improvement so fast! I’m glad he got Bruno. I’m also hopeful bc someone mentioned on twitter, and I hadn’t noticed this, that both Rumer & Nyle had Bruno for the judges’s challenge, and they both won 😉

Val can’t choreograph a jazz, but I already knew that. Normani is a great dancer and confident, she always delivers, but I wish I could have seen her do a technical jazz, she has classical training, it would have been phenomenal.

Rashad is just special though. In my opinion he has IT. That winner quality.

Wow it was Simone. What a surprise. Again the transparency is crazy. I’m going to go vote for Rashad now.
I really haven’t been that impressed with Normani. In terms of ability she’s the best one left but the choreography seems to be the same thing over again. Not to mention the fact that Val takes a great deal of artistic license with the dances. Len give Heather a 6 for her little hip hop break down but Normani does some weird country line dance in the middle of the jive on the judges desk and she gets a tap on the wrist? Why are they treating her with such kid gloves when they nearly make Simone cry?
To me Normani’s road to the finals and probably the win became apparent with Heather’s early exit. By that I don’t mean that I ever thought that Heather had a chance of winning. I just think they would use it to justify Normani’s win (ie “see the ringers don’t always win, Heather went home.”)

1. Simone’s elimination is exactly what happens when you nitpick a celeb for weeks on freaking end- I don’t know why the judges were surprised that the general audience bought into their narrative

2. The same narrative that sunk Simone is going to keep Rashad from winning. I will be very surprised if Normani doesn’t win it all

3. The judges will lowball David as much as they have to to ensure he doesn’t take this. He’s not far enough behind now so I wouldn’t be surprised to see another all 8’s freestyle regardless of what he does to keep his total low.

Ugh, what a terrible night. I feel so bad for Simone and Sasha.. maybe choreo wasn’t the best all the time but they brought me so much joy, and seem like such a delightful pair. Guess TPTB finally got what they want. Reminiscent of Nastia’s season, but I do hope the outcome isn’t the same where the tptb fav couple does win.. I’m hoping for a Donald Driver like season and maybe him being there tonight was a good omen for Rashad? I’m guessing the Esha overlap would benefit him the most.

DWTS sucks
Val sucks
I want to punch CAI in the face
If Normani wins over Rashad or David I’ll never watch this bs show again
Hope Simone talks crap about this show

Hope Simone wins gold in 2020
Rashad better win
Thrilled for Emma and Lindsay making the finals. Especially Emma!
Rossy rules
Cubs nation!
Can’t wait to see David and Rashad’s freestyles
I agree with everything Susan 2 said about David & Lindsay (teared up about your Dad)
I want to punch CAI in the face
I need a drink

Len seems to have a thing with Rashad’s feet and Emma for goodness sake… She’s been on for 7 (now 8 seasons) I think without a single perfect score ever, and I’m just really looking forward to the dance where she gets her first perfect score, I mean of course it should be deserving but I think the quickstep was up there enough

Judges doing their typical emotions. I’ve not seen him with his head in his hands though. Julianne and CAI sort of crying anger. You did 50% of this judges. They don’t learn from it and will do the same thing next season. But, I think Simone will gain more. Fourth place gets interviews by themselves and the top three have to share the time. In a couple of seasons, lots of people will not remember who won Season 24. Not sure I’ll watch the show next week, but I will get in my votes for anyone but Val.

I wish Derek would make an appearance next week so Tom can say “six time MB winner” and “two time Emmy winner”.

Well, 2 of my season long favorites are in the Finals- David and Rashad. Wish Nancy would have been the third. She and Simone were sacrificed for the intended outcome. TPTB are expecting the two male celebs to split the audience votes so that Precious and his partner win.

TPTB did it to us again. Shoved Precious Val down our throats with the most dishonest, unethical judging, song selection, air time, and manipulation we have ever seen. Yet, we are still watching this crap. Why? What’s wrong with us and why are we tuning in….even expressing our frustration and anger on this site….which I bet they are watching and using to their advantage. I want to vomit over the judges gushing and acting tonight. Their phony dismay at the end when Simone was eliminated was absolutely criminal.
I know Emma and Lindsay will come up with brilliant choreography for their partners. Now, if we can just have a two couple Finals with all new judges……

Well David got the generous vote from the judges tonight. Lemons or not, that butt is going to stay stuck out. Yes he hits his marks, he still dances like he is counting every step. I am not looking forward to his freestyle.

Normani did as I expected, kind of lousy on a proper ballroom dance, and not really a jazz dance when you have Val. We have had so many freestyles from Normani this season that I am not lookiing forward to the next one.

Rashad had a beautiful Rumba despite the horrible search lights. What the hell was that. But what is exciting is He learns and implements! That is really great. Also, by getting an assist from Emmitt in the video package and Donald live, the show signaled he was not leaving this week..and it may even signal the desire of the show to get back to the golden days..

I thought Simone danced like she knew she was going home, I felt the joy had left her. I thought that jive was no where near the energy we have seen from her in previous weeks. I also thought the Rumba was a little careful. Even with thoses scores, to me she danced defeated. What a terrible way to treat an Olympic gold medalist.

Susan2, condolences on the loss of your dad, but thank you for sharing I loved reading your comment. Vote with your heart, both David and Lindsay are deserving.

I enjoyed the dances tonight. Trying hard to enjoy Normani’s dances for what they are since she is just doing what is given to her. She seems like a genuinely nice person with a lot going for her. But I would rather see one of the guy’s win.

Don’t watch the show anymore since Heather’s elimination but I come here to check your blog. I will not be watching next week, but I will throw my votes to Rashad just to help Val not win again. Could someone post the number next week?

Only one Fam couple left in the competition so Normani is getting all their votes. She is a great dancer, but Val is truly insufferable. I just can’t believe that we will be deprived of seeing Simone’s freestyle! All my votes going to Rashad and Emma. Hopefully, Sasha and Simone’s fans will all vote for them. My favorite all season!

Ugh I had a feeling this might happen with all the nitpicking Simone had last week and then the perfect scores today. It’s messed up that the point difference between David and Simone and Simone and Normani was the same and that David needed the same amount of votes to overcome Simone that Simone needed to overcome Normani. Sad that she doesn’t get a freestyle. The same thing happened to Nastia. It sucks that Sasha didn’t make the finals after a perfect semis once again. :'((((( I was voting for Simone every week, but decided to wait until after the result this week in case she was eliminated and it happened. :/

Voting and rooting for Rashad and Emma now! They’re on top of the leaderboard, but still haven’t gotten that 40. Donald Driver supporting them might be a good luck charm since he didn’t get 40s until the end. Emma needs her first ever perfect score and Rashad has had deserving performances! Their trio last week with Witney was my favorite dance of the season.

Lindsay is the best choreographer left probably, but David is obviously the worse dancer. He’s lucky he has a such big fan base with the cubs.

I hate Val. How he knew about Laurie’s grandma’s death days before she did, his ongoing lawsuit for making fun of a disabled kid on instagram, his reaction to Normani’s injury, the lack of content in his dances, and the showmances… bleh. Also what at the producers giving Val and Normani contemporary and jazz back to back. Since they made the finals, they basically get 3 freestyles in a row.

I’m really upset that Simone and Sasha didn’t make the finals, but maybe this will cause less vote splitting between them and Emma and Rashad? There are a lot of Esha supporters and the favorites of the general audience/dwts fans seemed to be those two. Please vote for them everyone!

So I rallied a small army of sorts (by telling my friends that don’t watch the show the situation and suffice to say that they all threw their newly acquired way to vote on Facebook votes to rashad….so that 30 people.) Now this is the fun part: my grandmother somehow managed to wrangle half my older family members into voting by phone for Rashad since last week so that’s a good 20 people. I know that’s a drop in the bucket compared to everything but we voted hard 🙂

So happy for Rashad! I think the right couple went home. I liked Simone, I liked her more than Val and Normani actually, but Sasha was starting to get on my nerves. Has he always to be in the picture when the camera is on Rashad and Emma? Come on …… Hopefully Emma can relax now and take the trophy home. Who knows if she’ll ever get a partner like Rashad again. This is HER chance!

I think the powers are heavily courting both the Harmonizer and Cubs fan bases. If they’re so strong, why were the ratings so low last week though? Are people voting, but not really watching? It’s a mystery to me.

Actually Rachel Sasha being short probably helps his chances of getting someone good. Anyway I’m happy, with Simone gone and I struggled to connect with her all season, Rashad is top and they’ll be no vote splitting, If you don’t want Normani to win please don’t waste your vote on David as he will finish third. Vote Rashad!

I’m shocked that no one is talking about how Emma and Lindsay have never won before! Do the producers/Tom/judges & the pro only play that up if it’s a C-bro or Tony? Val talked about how he should win because he didn’t have a mirror ball ad nauseum during Rumer’s season. Well, Emma and Lindsay have never won before, and I really hope one of them wins. Rashad would have this in the bag if they hadn’t gone on and on about his footwork. He *should* win.

It was nice to see more of Normani’s story & get to know her better. She has a beautiful family. And I liked seeing her grandma give input in the costume. Val could learn a thing or two from Artem though and let his partner be the center of attention.
Young David and Lindsay could be related! They look so much alike! Castle on the Hill has nothing to do with him though… Or a tango.
It was nice to see more of everybody’s stories…

If I had bet on the top 4, I would have made a lot of money lol
The top 3 as well. I’m actually ok with that. David is the Bill Engvall on this season, everybody loves him and Lindsay did a fantastic job with him.
It was still nice to see Len’s shocked expression over her elimination

And congrats to all the loyal Cubbies fans who are voting even if you are not watching, (the ratings are still in a downward slide). Don’t see DWTS picking up new viewers from David’s appearance. Cubs fans like fair play, which is not always the case with DWTS.

Personally I don’t think Normani will win anymore. This week with Jazz definitely felt like Val and Normani threw all their eggs in a basket this week. If this was a freestyle next week I feel like they could’ve won, but the timing was a bit premature I think. If Val can give her a semi-decent freestyle MAYBE they could win, but I just don’t see it anymore. Rashad and David have a very good shot at winning with anything, really. Unless Normani has a large pull next week with some crazy last minute story they saved for the finals night… Because all that emotion jam packed into one contestant’s screen time was just a Juggernaut of face value that could overshadow anything else Normani tries. IDK maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think it’s happening for her.

I’m pretty excited that Emma and Rashad are going to the finals, but I’m really sad that Simone didn’t make it.. it’s like Season 20 all over again. Except I’m hoping that Rashad is able to win it and not get second place, I hope the votes go in for him.

I was not impressed by Normani’s first dance. But that Jazz number was amazing and worthy of a perfect score. Rashad had fantastic arms during that rumba and that was a fun jive. Simone was AMAZING! And David as cute and fun as always. I’m so sad about Simone’s departure. Guess I should have thrown some votes her way last week.

Cubs fans are insanely die-hard — they go beyond any other fandom. I would not be surprised to learn that David Ross has gotten more votes than any other contestant on this show ever. Every single Cubs fan I know is voting for him, whether they watch the show or not. I wonder if DWTS truly understood what it was unleashing, haha.
I am new here, and while I am impressed by everyone’s knowledge and have no trouble believing there is an agenda and manipulation going on, I guess the piece I see missing is why. Why would the show be so good to Val? Why him, of all people? What is in it for the show? Wouldn’t it have made more sense to make sure Derek Hough was kept happy at all costs?

So glad David and Rashad are safe. I hated to see Simone go (esp since I think she’s a better dancer than Laurie was), but somehow I think she’s probably relieved. I’ve always voted for the better dancer if I liked more than one, but I can’t help but vote for David. He’s a joy to watch, and I love his humility. I won’t be disappointed if Rashad wins, either. Emma and Lindsay each deserve a trophy-not because they don’t have one, but because they are creative, selfless and total class acts.

# Casanova. Thanks for those words. I thought there was something off for Simone tonight. The steps were all there but she looked a little defeated, a little empty. I hope she goes back to the understanding that it is still a good thing to know that skills are still better than smiles and tears. They tried to break you, but they didn’t.

Rashad all the way now. They gave David (seems like a great guy) too much of the “this is what the show is all about” narrative when the same story is there for Rashad as well – difference is that Rashad is a better dancer.

So we won’t get to see Simone’s freestyle which was sure to be entertaining. I feel bad for her and agree that USA gymnastics should discourage their people from going on the show in the future. To be honest though I saw the writing on the wall when lots of people complained about gymnasts winning back to back.

Is this a JOKE FROM HELL? Simone’s microexpression rx to Tom was exactly mine…WTF?!

Pardon my language, but this is RIDICULOUS. Val and Normani basically scooping up Bonner’s voters last week by including him in his dance, fawning over him in the package (the whole damn package was basically about him), then making sure Normani scoops up some Simone voters by showing they are BFFS (which if they are that’s great we don’t need it shoved down our throats on every social media platform)!

Great….Normani and Val just took the mirrorball because I have a hard time seeing Simone voters switching their vote to David over her BFF(yea right) Normani.

Disclaimer: I don’t dislike Normani…I just don’t like TPTB extremely manipulative tactics to get Val a mirrorball.

I gave Rashad all my votes but I’m pretty much over this show and not sure if I will even watch the finale. The same song and dance every season so I don’t know why I’m surprised but dang I thought Simone would at least make the finals. Oh well, I do hope Rashad wins but they’ve pretty much set it up for Val.

Yes, the faux shock of the judges was a little too much tonight. They really put the screws to Simone last week and nitpicked her all season – what did they expect? The only thing I hope is that if Simone is on GMA tomorrow – when they ask – who do you think will win that she says Rashad instead of Normani!

Really didn’t care for Normani’s jazz routine. Thought that David did a great job tonight. My favorite is still Rashad but I would be happy for David & Lindsay if they were to pull it off.

I have watched this show since the second season and I do not think I have ever been as disappointed in how the judges treated a celebrity the way Simone. The judges picked Simone apart for weeks, constantly implied that there was just something missing from her performances, made critical remarks about her personality, about not really knowing her, and then they pretend to be surprised when she is eliminated. It was really ironic that after Carrie worked with her this week that all of a sudden she gets all these tens, as if Carrie has the golden touch. When I heard all the complimentary remarks after Simone’s performance, I just had a feeling that the judges are saying all of this because they know she is going home. I have followed Simone’s career for a couple of years and read her biography, and she seems like such a kind humble person and just did not deserve this treatment. I like Normani, her dances were very enjoyable and she seems like a nice person from a loving family, but I just do not like the way the judges constantly picked on Simone and the digs they made about her too perfect personality, the Simone smile etc. Simone may even need counseling after this experience. I think that there should be a revamp of the judges. The only judge that I really think gives constructive critique is Bruno, and I have felt that for a long time. I feel Len can be too rigid, Carrie can be very silly with all the crying, fawning over attractive male celebrities and falling out of chairs and Julianne I feel can really be inconsistant with her judging. I would love if the show were to keep Bruno and get three new judges, I think that is the only way the show can keep its credibility.

First time commenting, though I read here after each show. I found Simone to be a “mechanical” dancer. She showed no expression, no joy in her dance. Thus, I received none watching her. It’s the opposite watching Rashad and David, especially Rashad. They are giving to the audience as they dance. It’s just a pleasure to watch them. I still to this day can’t decide on Normani. She’s a very good dancer, but something seems forced and maybe not genuine??

As crazy as he can be please keep Bruno on the judges panel and GET RID of everyone else! I’m heartbroken over the way Simone was treated by these jokers all season long and I’m kicking my gears into overdrive to help Rashad win. Heck I would be happy with David winning too. These are two non-dancers who improve every week and isn’t that what this show is really about anyway?

I really don’t know if I can stomach another season of this crap festival…

@baila, definitely vote for Rashad because it’s not over yet. He’s one point above Normani, I believe and this week’s vote plus next week’s will determine the winner. It’ll be a true test cause Normani for once did not get 2 40’s.

I am not sure that Nightline is the marker of anything. Nancy was on Nightline and then promptly kicked off. I hope the voters see a clear choice next week.

If anything watch the quality of LIFTS

between all 3 men. Rashad showed his prowess in this regard only once on the Contemporary, and one power lift in the Ménage a Shad, so his Freestyle is the one I am looking forward to the most. Emma was so smart not to overdo the lifts for Rashad, like so many have done in the past.

I am very appreciative that this show, over the years, brought us Derek Hough, Mark Ballas, Julianne Hough, Emma Slater, and Lindsay. They have brought me such wonderful entertainment and stellar choreography. Glad that Lindsay and Emma are in Finals and will be happy if either of them wins.

I’m glad Simone went out on a high but that’s little consolation for the way they treated her this season. I hated seeing the shocked look on the judges faces after she was eliminated. What did they expect when they picked her apart each week? They kept talking about how they didn’t get to know Simone, but what about Normani. Maybe having watched Simone for years in gymnastics I felt like I already knew her a bit, whereas I really knew nothing about Normani coming into this. But I still feel like I know nothing about Normani. She seems like a sweet enough girl, but if we’re going to nitpick one star for “not getting to know them,” then why don’t we hold everyone to that standard. Ugh, and to give Simone two perfect scores and then send her home. This show is becoming too predictable. Anyways, I’m pulling for Rashad. I’ve already given him all of my votes, but hopefully I can make a few more accounts to vote with. I really don’t want Normani and Val to win.

I am getting so sick of this show…I always say that I’m not gonna watch anymore after all of the blatant manipulation…but this year I may actually mean it. I just don’t understand why they are so invested in getting Val the win when he’s not even going on their tour…if I was one of the other pros (Sasha, Emma, Lindsay) I’d be so sick of this bs.
On another note, I have been voting for David this entire season and I truly believe that he has the votes to beat Normani. It’s just a matter of how low the judges will go with him next week to ensure that he has no chance…if they give him 8’s or so for his freestyle I’ll be switching my votes over to Rashad.

The show is desperate to hold onto Cub fans, just as they’re desperate for Harmony fans IMO. To me it couldn’t be any more obvious. I honestly think they were worried about their numbers if those ransoms were to slip. The people running the show have no idea what they’re doing because in all the time I’ve watched I’ve never seen so many people on FB comment that it is totally rigged.

If it weren’t rigged, I really believe Rashad would walk away with it just as Driver did many seasons ago. He was the true surprise this season.

While I have been voting for David since this season began, I don’t see the show as desperate to hold on to cubs fans. If that were the case, I don’t believe it would have taken til week 8 for David to receive his best score of 9’s across the board. Following that, he went back to receiving one of his lower score’s (7,7,8,7) for his paso heading into the Semi Finals. I don’t expect to change anyone’s feeling on this whether they feel one way or another but I just wanted to share my input that if my humble opinion, if they were trying to hold onto cubs fans I think they would have started giving David a nice cushion of points weeks ago.

One could also argue that maybe last night they did cushion his point tally for dances but the way I saw it is that they finally stopped judging him against Normani and finally just scored him against himself and the progress he’s made throughout this season.

Rashad can beat Normani if people vote for him. For the first time in this competition Normani is behind at a key point. Rashid can do this with your help, hope people can get behind him would love to see the look on TPTB faces if he beats golden boy

The judges are phony, TPTB are manipulative. No secret to any of us, but it’s still so maddening to watch. I feel so bad for Simone and Sasha. They deserved the finals. I love David, I’m a Cub fan, but I don’t think he deserves to be there over Simone. Over Normani? That would be fine, because she hasn’t earned it. She’s been praised highly by the judges every week and her scores were inflated. That’s not earning it, that’s having it handed to you with a bow wrapped around it.

With that said, I can only hope it’s a finish of Rashad, David and Normani. I will put Tuesday’s show on for the last 10 minutes because I really can’t sit through all of the unnecessary nonsense for 2 hours. My finger will be on my remote, with a channel ready to go at the touch of a button, and if she wins, I’ll change it. I will not watch Val jump for joy and think he’s so great and grab the mic so he can hear himself speak. Just can’t.

So everyone voting for Rashad and/or David, let’s get as many votes in as we possibly can. We can do it if we pull together.

“Rashad all the way now. They gave David (seems like a great guy) too much of the “this is what the show is all about” narrative when the same story is there for Rashad as well – difference is that Rashad is a better dancer.”

My thoughts exactly, Gunny. Rashad did not get the narrative that David did all season, but to learn that Rashad had a learning disability as a child just look at how he is learning and absorbing all the teaching from Emma and Bruno. That is a very powerful message. YES YOU CAN.

Casanova, I’m being a repetitive pain the rear, but the difference is the Cubs. Rashad has to rely more on the general audience, which hasn’t been very abundant in numbers lately. That Rashad has come so far on his own, being nitpicked all season, tells the true story though. He should be the winner IMO.

So happy to read everyone’s comments,and see that most everyone is rooting and voting for Rashad. He’s such a pleasure to watch this season. David is a sweetheart, too,but Rashad is far and above the better dancer with a more polished entertainer vibe. David is also entertaining, but to me Rashad is the complete package. I hoping for a Rashad and Emma win,but wouldn’t be upset if David and Lindsay get the MBT.

Normani is what you would expect from a musical and dancing background. I really haven’t seen that much ballroom dancing from her. It’s seemed like all free styles. I’ll reiterate my hope for all from the “fam” taking next season off.

IMHO David is a nice guy, the Cubs are a great team, but that is where it ends. Getting straight 9’s last night was a gift. That wasn’t straight 9 worthy. The posture alone which they drilled and still didn’t get it right should have rendered that an 8 . So IMHO that was a gift for the Cubs fans to keep voting.
The guy gets two dances where he is hold so he can be back-led through out, meaning he never leads any of his dances, it is all controlled by Lindsay digging her hand into his shoulder and moving her body to direct where he goes.

Rashad worked on his arms and fluidity and the results gave him a 9 from Len because he has size 14 shoes. How does anyone with size 14 shoes ballroom dance with such grace? Julianne’s comment about Rashad leading so Emma could do her thing and be safe in how he catches her is everything in a partnership. She never had to fully control her partner because he knows what to do. That is vastly different from David, who almost dropped his partner a few weeks ago.

Now, we can quibble about who is a nicer guy, but I won’t even go there about the dancing.

The fact that TPTB have pushed a narrative befor about how this pro has never won, be it Val, Tony or Maks…where is that narrative now for Emma and/or Lindsay? Oh that’s right because they are not the pro they want to win. I am not watching this season, have simply been reading here and voting for Radhad and Emma. I pray that Derek and Mark never come back to this show, they are so above it. I did see where Derek posted a pick of Emma and Rashad, congratulating them and all the finalists on making the finals. I’m going with subliminal messaging on Derek’s part to his Instagram followers…I’m wishing them all good luck without actually naming the others so go vote for Emma and Rashad. Ha…I hope it works!!!!

Did Anyone else notice Derek’s instagram post supporting Emma and Rashad last night? It appears to have been deleted now. I wonder why he would remove that when the entire Chmerkovski “Family” is blowing up instagram with requests for their fans to vote for Val???

I agree with everything about Val. I’m pretty sure Normani and Val are going to win this season. Even his fans are annoying because they can’t see him for who he really is. They can’t see that he’s there on the show because of him, not because of his partners. I don’t care that Val said he’s doing this for his partners, wants to give them a great journey blah blah blah. Who is he kidding? His fans believe he really means that. He doesn’t fool people like me and many of us on this website.

God, I hope Val isn’t on his way towards a 3rd MBT. He is already annoying as heck with 2 MBT under his belt. I would hate to see how he would be with 3 wins. The C-Bros were always in a snit with Derek’s multiple wins, but apparently it is perfectly okay when it is one of them winning multiple MBT. I LOVE team Lady and the Gramp. Such a sweet relationship between Lindsay and David, and David killed it in the waltz. Feel sorry for Simone, but I don’t think that comment “you don’t win gold medals with smiles” did her any good. To some viewers who were voting for Simone but not 100% in her camp, it may have come across as being a bit of a smart ass, so therefore a turn off for them. And the judges can stop being fake with their shocked faces. Julianne told David a couple times that he was what the show was all about, and she did so last night again. I feel they knew Simone was going home. The perfect scores are a dead giveaway. They need to stop being so obvious. Rashad and Emma were beautiful last night. I hope they win and not Val/Normani.

Wow, Derek did delete his instagram. I’m disappointed. Maks, Peta, and others are begging people to vote for little brother so what was the big deal, Derek? Everyone that follows him knows he is a good friend of Emma’s and Sasha’s, and he already said he is a fan of Rashad’s.

DWTS also deleted the instagram they had up of Simone and Sasha a couple of hours after they posted it last night. Let’s pretend the BS never happened I supposed.

I had to record last night’s show, and even though I haven’t watched it yet I got spoiled on Simone’s elimination. I sensed it in my bones that it was going to happen because of a season-long agenda to drag her down, and while I didn’t watch the judges’ faux-shock and outrage, I don’t need to because I could have predicted it weeks ago. It’s drawn from the same playbook as Nastia, right down to the keep the gymnast out of the finals so Val and his partner have a chance to win, but fawn all over her on the night she’s eliminated and cry foul that she didn’t get the votes.

I’ve been pretty disengaged this whole season, but the manipulations may have finally crossed the limit enough for me to walk away. The thing is, I don’t actually care who wins – my favorite this season has been Rashad and Emma, and I still think they have a great shot at it (unless I missed something last night) – but I do care that I’m not watching something overly manipulated and I want the show as close to “real” as reality TV can be.

Unlike a lot of the fans here, for me, it’s not that the show has abandoned strictly ballroom performances – some of the best routines of the past few years have been the jazz and contemporary – but it’s lost that feel-good nature and growth of the celebs that made DWTS special. I liked it when it was a more positive experience for the celebs and their partners, and I am just not keen on watching them tear down hardworking people like Simone and Sasha just because it suits an agenda.

This is not my “No fair, I’m walking away and never watching again” post, just an admission mostly to myself that I just don’t have that level of enjoyment watching it anymore, and that I won’t be surprised if I unwittingly disengage entirely.

Well, Derek has more class in his little finger than Maks has in his and Val’s bodies – he probably didn’t want to offend anyone. Why he would care when those people do nothing but trash him all the time…well, that’s who he is. The better man.

#Twinkle. That’s a very long answer your seeking my friend, but for a cliff notes version: have you ever been part of a company that would rather have the slackers praised than any one decent hard worker. I’m afraid that it is just 10-fold in this case, as this show likes to wipe Val’s ass when he completely ignores traditional rules, standards and practices of international ballroom and Latin dancing. Derek did everything right, has a stellar personality, and can truly make mountains out of molehills. The only possible gain that TPTB gets from all the inane Val pimpage is: an earlier cancellation (jk), tbh it doesn’t make sense to me why he’s been getting off without so much as a slap on the wrist, especially this season. If I remember correctly I think one of the women here pointed out that Val isn’t doing the tour and he might take off next season. Usually pimpage tends to rely heavily on crosspromoting productions like tours, events, or even follow up seasons. (This is just something I’ve gathered from watching previous seasons) But this doesn’t make sense to me. Now in reality, if the PTB were following the usual formula, they’d promote Rashad or Simone or David to win because their professional partners are going on tour this summer, and if TPTB hasn’t completely lost it, it’s a fair assumption that Emma, Sasha, and Lindsay will be back next season.

So #twinkle to give you a quick answer I think it has a lot to do with how uppity and annoying Val is towards the PTB that they’ve given up trying to cover up the blatant praise (he doesn’t deserve) and disparaging towards other couples.

Many of us are focusing on Simone, and rifhtfully so, but I also feel bad for Sasha. He got such an amazing partner, an Olympic Gold Medalist! And he has worked his way up to getting a great partner (not handed a ringer every damn season cough Val cough). Hope he doesn’t feel too down and gets an amazing partner again…and wins! It’s kinda hard to beat an Olympic Gold Medalist though. My feelings for the finale now = ?

I hope David or Rashad win. I know Rashad is the better dancer, but both of them just impress me so much with their attitudes, work ethic, humor, etc. I just love them both so much. I hope the NFL is watching, whatever team gets Rashad will be lucky to have him. I’m almost sad David is retired, because I would root for him. Those two have gained a fan for life!

I have watch this from the beginning the last 2-3 years have become so unreal for what the show is labled for no more the main focus is not fair on the dancing ability only on the drama. Get rid of CAI has been drama queen crappy judge and Len just to old and crabby Julianne iffy and keep Bruno. If Val wins I with alot of other fans are done. If Val and Max never come back it would be wonderful. You still have 2 in the final that come from no previous experience and worked really hard the whole season and great if it goes to Val it is over will turn off tv and never watch again. Rashad deserved the win.reading the blogs I am not alone 90% feel the same about Val.Other reality show the viewers votes but this show shows none have no idea what impact if any they have?

Note to the Harmonizer troll who believes she left an “innocuous” comment about not watching the show – A nasty tone telling people what to do, such as stop watching if you don’t like it, WILL GET YOU DELETED. For being a bitch, basically. Congrats.